Elise strips down to cross the lake

On the one hand, it was very much not appropriate for a paladin of Etherial to be taking her clothes off in a dungeon. The goddess of female dignity frowned on that sort of thing.

On the other hand, it would only be for a moment. And nobody was around to see. It wasn't like the dungeon-maker was hanging around, invisible, to watch her every move, or anything like that. And it really was terribly hot.

Swiftly, not giving herself time to think, she shucked off her chainmail shirt and the linen undershirt beneath it. The breeches followed, leaving her in just her leather boots and the glossy silk underthings she'd bought herself from the drow lingerie boutique as a special present for being such a good and respectable paladin all year. They were darkest black, and gleamed in the firelight. She'd be absolutely mortified if anyone knew she was running around in such sexy underwear all day long, but luckily that wasn't going to happen.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out onto the first stone, feeling the steamy heat of the lava rise around her skin. Without those stifling clothes it almost felt good, like a sauna. She didn't want to be here any longer than she had to be, though. She crossed the lake as quickly as she could, snatched the golden key from its pedestal and turned around to cross back.

A fire imp was sitting on her clothes.

It picked her breeches up, thoughtfully, and began to sniff them. Then, as Elise watched in horror, it took a bite out of them.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Get away from that! That's my... that's mine!"

The imp took another bite. Then, seeing Elise coming back across the stepping-stones, it hastily picked up the whole pair of breeches and shoved it into its mouth. Briefly, it ballooned up to twice its regular size, before burping out a cloud of ash and patting its stomach contently.

Elise's mouth dropped open in horror. Those were her pants! Her only pants! Sword raised, she charged towards the imp, which picked up her chainmail shirt and leaped around to the other side of the lake. It stood across from her, shirt raised above its head, looking quizzical.

Elise stepped left. The imp stepped right, keeping the lake across from her.

She stepped right. The imp stepped left.

"Good imp," she said. "Uh. Good... good boy? Come back here and I promise I... I won't kill you?"

The imp seemed to consider it for a moment. Then it tossed the shirt into the lava lake, poked its tongue out at her, and leaped into a nearby fumarole. Elise stood looking at her melting chainmail shirt, now lost to her forever.

She looked down at herself. She was now stuck doing the rest of the dungeon in nothing but her boots and her sexy elven lingerie.

This had never happened to her before.

Somehow, she didn't think Etherial would be happy.